Scientific Letter - October 2012

Edito

Dear friends,

On September 6, 2012, 30 worldwide articles have been published with the results of the international ENCODE project (ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) (For more information in French). The major conclusion of this project is that 80% of the genome contains elements linked to biochemical functions, dispatching the widely held view that the human genome is mostly ’junk DNA’.

I would also like to highlight the new partnership between the Curie Institute (Paris, France) and Georgia Health Science University Cancer Center (Augusta, GA, USA). This partnership will facilitate exchanges of scientists and doctors between these two institutes, mostly focalising on immunotherapy, signalisation pathways in cancer cells, new therapeutics in hematology and oncology, neuro-oncology, radiotherapy and pediatric oncology.

In this month’s newsletter, you’ll discover that sometimes, cancer research leads to unattended discoveries: Duke scientists working on cancer unexpectedly found a new way to produce Nylon!

Scientific news from the Southeast USA

Breakthrough in NanoTechnology, University of Central Florida (FL), 08/29/2012.A University of Central Florida assistant professor has developed a new material using nanotechnology, which could help keep pilots and sensitive equipment safe from destructive lasers.>>Learn more

Heavy drinking rewires brain, increasing susceptibility to anxiety problems, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC), 09/04/2012.Doctors have long recognized a link between alcoholism and anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New research using mice reveals heavy alcohol use actually rewires brain circuitry, making it harder for alcoholics to recover psychologically following a traumatic experience.>>Learn more

Clemson marine biologist seeks genetic pearls in oyster DNA, Clemson University (SC), 09/19/2012.The drab shell of an oyster is complex and the animal that lives inside can adapt to stressful living conditions, according to a team of marine biologists, including a Clemson University researcher, that identified and catalogued the genes of the Pacific oyster.>>Learn more

Cognitive decline: what if obesity speed it up? (only in French), Inserm, 09/06/2012.Following more than 6000 people in their fifties during 10 years, researchers discovered a link between obesity and speeding up of cognitive decline associated with ageing. >>Learn more (only in French)

Real-time observation of single DNA molecule repair, also available in French, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 09/07/2012. DNA is constantly being damaged by environmental agents such as ultraviolet light or certain compounds present in cigarette smoke. Cells unceasingly implement repair mechanisms for this DNA, which are of redoubtable efficacy. Scientists have for the first time managed to follow real-time the initial steps in one of these hitherto little known DNA repair systems. >>Learn more

Martian clays were not all formed by the action of liquid water, also available in French, CNRS, Université de Poitiers, 09/10/2012. Discovered in 2005, the clays of the southern hemisphere of Mars are often considered to be evidence for the existence of liquid water on the planet at a period in the very distant past between 4.5 and 4 billion years ago. However, work carried out by a French-US team calls this interpretation into question.>>Learn more

Daytime storms more likely to develop over drier soils, also available in French, Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, 09/12/2012. During the day, storms develop more frequently over drier land surfaces surrounded by wetter areas than elsewhere. This is the result of a study carried out by a European team using a statistical analysis of ten years’ worth of satellite data covering every continent.>>Learn more

How plant roots branch? (only in French), CNRS, INRA, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier SupAgro, 09/17/2012. Continually, plant roots cross and branch to explore soil, looking for water and nutrients. Mechanisms at the heart of this growth are still poorly known but a French team from Montpellier collaborating with English and German scientists have just made an important breakthrough. >>Learn more (only in French)

Toward development of bisphenol A substitutes (only in French), Inserm, CNRS, 09/17/2012. Highly present throughout our domestic environment, bisphenol A (BPA) is suspected to induce hormonal effects in Humans. Inserm and CNRS researchers from Montpellier studied at the molecular level interactions between BPA, its derivatives and the oestrogen receptor, one of its main targets. >>Learn more (only in French)

A nitrene finally accessible to industry (only in French), CNRS, 09/21/2012. A nitrene, a chemical entity known for more than a century as a transient species, unstable and observable only at very low temperature, was isolated at room temperature.>>Learn more (only in French)

A step towards prevention of collagen linked diseases (only in French), CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 09/23/2012. A French-English team has just established the 3D structure of the finished end of procollagen, collagen precursor protein, one of the most abundant in organism. >>Learn more (only in French)

Hydrogen from water electrolysis without platinum (only in French), CEA, 09/2012. In the frame of the development of the hydrogen energy system, hydrogen production through water electrolysis requires efficient catalysts. As an alternative to platinum, rare and expensive, cobalt oxides have been proposed. >>Learn more (only in French)

South Carolina

My individual development plan

After having put a lot of time and effort into pursuing a PhD degree, it’s now time to focus on how to leverage your expertise into a satisfying and productive career. An individual development plan (IDP) helps you explore career possibilities and set goals to follow the career path that fits you best. >>Do your IDP

Call for French-US Projects in Computational Neuroscience

ANR, NSF and NIH in the United States launch a call for French-US research projects in computational neuroscience.Computational neuroscience is inclusively defined, encompassing a broad range of computational and biological goals and approaches.French-US collaborations (at least one French partner and one US partner) are expected to take advantage of complementary expertise, enabling the collaborating investigators to pursue innovative research approaches and make significant advances on important and challenging issues.>>Learn more, also available in French

Professor and lecturer qualifications - 2013

The application GALAXIE / qualification is open. Deadline for candidatures for positions of professor or lecturer is 25 October 2012, 4:00pm (Paris time).The 2013 calendar is available. >>Learn more, only in French.

France-Atlanta 2012

For the last two years now, the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology have presented a series of multidisciplinary events centered on innovation and designed to breathe new life into the French-American cooperation in the U.S. Southeast: France-Atlanta.Encouraged by the success of the last two editions, the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology have decided to make this initiative an annual event, a French-American rendez-vous. France-Atlanta 2012 will be held on October 25-November 10.To consult the 2012 brochure, please click the PDF document below :

Clar’s sextets revealed

IBM Research - ZurichA nanographene molecule exhibiting carbon-carbon bonds of different length and bond order imaged by noncontact atomic force microscopy using a carbon monoxide functionalized tip. This molecule was synthesized at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Toulouse.

Researchers of the IBM-Zurich Research laboratory, of the CIQUS-Santiago de Compostela and of the NanoSciences Group –CEMES-CNRS Toulouse, have been able to differentiate the chemical bonds in individual molecules for the first time using a technique known as non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM).The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could be important for studying graphene devices, which are currently being explored by both industry and academia for applications including high-bandwidth wireless communication and electronic displays.For more information : Clar’s sextets revealed, also available in French